Hair curling apparatus



Get. 14, 1969 c. BLOCK- ETAL HAIR CURLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 7. 1966 FIG. 2

FIG. 3

X ma 5 70 N Tm m B 7 r mm M AR *United States Patent Offi f 3,473,004 Patented Oct. 14, 1969 3,473,004 HAIR CURLING APPARATUS Charles Block, 1129 Albert Road, North Bellmore, N.Y. 11710, and Jerome Bauer, 34 Dante Ave., Hicksville, N.Y. 11801 Filed Feb. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 525,540 Int. Cl. A45d 2/00 US. Cl. 219222 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hair curling apparatus utilizing removable hair curlers having electric heating elements incorporated therein. Each of the curlers comprises a hollow plastic body filled with an elastome-ric electrical resistance material, e.g., carbon impregnated rubber, which produced heat upon passage of electric current therethrough. An electrical connector at one end of the curler is detachably received in one of a plurality of sockets of a base unit designed to support and energize a plurality of curlers for simultaneous heating. The base unit includes means for selectively energizing the curlers from either a low voltage DC source such as an automobile battery through an adaptor plug receivable in the cigar lighter socket of an automobile or from a conventional household AC source. Transformer means are provided in the base unit to reduce the AC voltage to that of the DC source.

This invention relates generally to a hair curling apparatus and, more particularly, pertains to an apparatus utilizing removable hair curlers having heating elements therein.

Portable hair curling apparatuses which are presently commercially available for home use include a heating element which is connected to a central heating plate and which is adapted to heat the plate upon its energization by a power source. In the use of such apparatuses, there are individual hair curlers or hair curler elements that are adapted to be connected to the plate and they contain heating means which are placed into heat exchanging engagement with the plate. Accordingly, the heat is transmitted from the plate to the heating means in the hair curler element by conduction thereby raising the temperature of the individual hair curling element. While this arrangement does provide heated hair curlers which may then be applied to the hair, it nonetheless has several disadvantages associated with its use. For example, since the central heating plate and its heating element is always connected to a source of power, a constant and continuous amount of power will be drawn from the source even though only a few curlers may be connected to the heating plate. Additionally, the process of raising the temperature of the heating means in the hair curlers is extremely inefiicient because the heating means is indirectly thermally connected to the heating element. Furthermore, the cost of these apparatuses is substantially increased by the requirement of an extraneous heating plate, thereby making such apparatuses uneconomical as well as extremely inefficient.

Accordingly, the desideratum of the present invention is to provide a hair curling apparatus which includes hair curlers having heat producing means therein which are directly heated by the passage of a current therethrough. Hence, the need tor additional heating plates and the like is eliminated thereby providing an economical apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hair curling apparatus with increased efficiency.

Other objects and features of the present invention reside in the novel details of construction that provide a hair curling apparatus which draws power from a power source in proportion to the number of hair curlers connected thereto. Thus, the use of the present invention results in a savings in cost in the operation thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a hair curling apparatus which may be connected to either an AC or a DC source of potential.

Other and further objects of this invention reside in the structures and arrangements hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus constructed according to the present invention, illustrating the hair curler receiving sockets,

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the present apparatus, taken along line 22 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit wiring diagram, partially in diagrammatic form, of an apparatus constructed according to the present invention.

The hair curling apparatus of the present invention includes a base 10 having a top wall 12, a bottom wall 14, opposed side walls 15 and 16, a front wall 17, and a rear wall 18. Provided on the top wall 12 of the base 10 are a plurality of longitudinally and transversely spaced sockets S Each of the sockets S includes a circular aperture 20 in the top wall 17. Upstanding from the bottom wall 14 and coaxial with each of the apertures 20 is a respective circular boss 22 having a smaller diameter than the aperture 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the bosses 22 may terminate below the top wall 12 for a reason which will become apparent hereinbelow. Mounted on the walls of the respective bosses 22 are opposed sets of contact strips 24 and 26.

The apparatus of the present invention further includes a plurality of hair curlers 28. Each curler 28 comprises a shell or body 30 having a hollow interior 32, a top wall 34 which seals one end of the interior 32, and a bottom opening 36. In practice, the shell 30 has been fabricated from a plastic material, although other suitable materials may be utilized. Received within the hollow interior 32 of the shell or body 30 is a heating or heat producing means 38, the top end of which may abut the top wall 34 and the bottom end of which is spaced from the bottom opening 36. The heating or heat producing means 38 is normally in surface-to-suitace engagement with the walls defining the hollow interior 32 and it is adapted to convert electrical energy into heat energy and to absorb the heat and dissipate the same gradually through the shell 30. A substance which has the aforementioned characteristics and which may advantageously be utilized as the heating means 38 is a carbon impregnated rubber or other carbon impregnated materials, as cloth having a relatively high resistance, e.g., approximately 100,000 ohms. However, this type of heating means is by way of illustration only and it is not to be interpreted as a limitation on the present invention. A transverse or bottom closure wall 40 is received within the hollow interior 32 and may be. in abutment with the bottom end of the heat producing element 38. Thus, together with the top wall 34 and the side wall of the shell 30, the bottom closure wall 40 provides a heating or heat storage chamber in which the heating element 38 is received. The bottom closure wall The curler 28 is sized to fit within the aperture 20 of a socket S and the bottom opening 36 is sized to receive the boss 22 therein. Additionally, the conductors 42 and 44 are sized and positioned to engage the respective contact strips 26 and 24 in an electrical connection therewith. A temperature sensitive paint dot 46 (FIG. 1) may be provided on the top wall 34 of the curler 28. The dot 46 is responsive to a preselected temperature whereupon it changes its color thereby to visually notify the user that the curler 28 has reached its preselected temperature. Additionally, radially projecting spine 48 are provided on the outer surface of the shell 30 to facilitate the wrapping of hair around the curler 28.

A lead 50 connects all of the contact strips 26 together while another lead 52 connects all of the contact strips 24 together, as shown in FIG. 3. Hence, all the sockets S are effectively connected in a parallel circuit. Accordingly, when a plurality of the curlers 28 are mounted in the sockets S they are similarly connected in parallel through the connection between the contact strips 26 and 24 and the respective conductors 42 and 44. A resistor 53 is connected across the ends of the leads 50 and 52. The other ends of the leads 50 and 52 are respectively connected to the terminals of a female connector, such as a phono-jack 54.

The phono-jack connector 54 comprises a central hollow tubular conductor 56 and a cap portion 58 which surrounds the front end of the tubular conductor 56 and is insulated therefrom. The phono-jack 54 is adapated to receive a male phono-jack 60 therein. The phono-jack 60 comprises projecting central member 61 which is adapted to be received in the tubular conductor 56, and an outer portion 62 which is insulated from the member 61 and which (is adapted to contact the cap 58 thereby to provide an electrical connection between the male and female phono-jack members 54 and 60. Connected to the phonojack 60 are leads 65 that terminate in a connector member 68. The connector member 68 is sized to be received within the conventional lighter socket in an automobile thereby to connect the apparatus of the present invention with a DC source of potential such as an automobile battery, thereby to increase the portability and usefulness of the present apparatus.

To further increase the versatility of the present invention, the apparatus is also adapted to be connected to an AC source of potential. Accordingly, a transformer 70 is provided having a primary winding 72 and a secondary Winding 74. The primary winding 72 is connected to a conventional male plug 76 by leads 78 and 80 so that the device may be plugged into a conventional 120 volt alternating current house outlet. One terminal of the secondary winding 74 is connected to the lead 50 by a lead 82. The other terminal of the secondary winding 74 is connected to the armature 86 of a single-pole doublethrow switch by a lead 84. One terminal 88 of the switch 86 is connected to the lead 52 by a lead 90. The other terminal 92 of the switch 86 is connected to the lead 82 through a resistor 94. The armature 86 is normally biased into contact with the terminal 88 by a spring 96 thereby connecting the secondary winding 74 of the transformer 70 across the leads 50 and 52. However, when the male phono-jack 60 is inserted into the female phono-jack 54, the central conductor 61 of the phono-jack 60 is adapted to engage an insulating block 93 on the armature 86 and move the armature from the terminal 88 to the terminal 92, thereby disconnecting the secondary winding 74 from the leads 50 and 52 and connecting the secondary winding across the resistor 92.

In operation, and assuming that the apparatus of the present invention is used in the house, the curlers 28 are inserted into the respective sockets S so that the conductors 42 and 48 are in contact with the respective contact strips 26 and 24. A single-pole single-throw switch 85 is connected in the lead 50 to provide an on-oif switch for the apparatus. The plug 76 is then inserted into a conventional house outlet thereby to connect a source of potential across the primary winding 72. The transformer 70 is operable to step down the house potential of volts to approximately 12 volts. Accordingly, this potential is applied across the leads 50 and 52 and, through the respective contact strips and conductors, across the respective heating or head producing elements 38.

Thus, current will flow through the heating or heat producing elements 38 thereby raising the temperature of the curlers 28. When the curlers have reached the afore-noted preselected temperature, the temperature responsive paint dot 46 will change color thereby notifying the user that the device is ready for use. The curlers 28 are then removed and inserted into the hair of the user in the conventional manner. As noted previously a carbon impregnated substance is ideally suited for use as the heat producing element in the curlers of the present invention. The heat dissipated by the heat producing element for a given applied voltage, will vary inversely with the resistance of the substances. However, the resistance of the substances may be changed by varying the density of the carbon with which it is impregnated. This procedure, in effect, limits the amount of heat produced by the heat producing elements 38. Accordingly, the need for a thermostat is obviated in the present invention because the heating elements may be produced with specific resistances to predeterminately control the amount of heat produced, thereby providing a more economical and eflicient device.

It will be appreciated that as each curler 28 is removed from its socket S, the power drawn from the source will be decreased since the units are connected in parallel. Accordingly, it will be apparent that the present apparatus is much more efficient than those of the prior art in that less power is consumed during its use and, moreover, the curlers 28 are directly heated by the current passing through the heating elements 38 rather than being indirectly heated by conduction through a heating plate. The resistor 53 provides a load for the secondary winding 74 when no curlers 28 are connected across the leads 50 and 52.

If it is desired to use the present apparatus in a car, the lead 65 is connected thereto by joining the male and female phone-jacks 60 and 54 together. Accordingly, the central member 64 will move the armature 86 into engagement with the terminal 92 thereby connecting the secondary winding 74 across the resistor 94 and disconnecting it from the leads 50 and 52. The member 68 may then be inserted into the lighter of the car thereby to energize the device. The resistor 94 is provided so that if the phonojacks are accidental-1y joined together when the plug 76 is received in an outlet the secondary winding will still have the load connected thereacross.

Accordingly, a hair curling apparatus has been provided which utilizes heating elements in the hair curlers that are heated directly by the passage of a current therethrough to increase the efiiciency and economy of the apparatus.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be obvious that various omissions, changes and additions may be made in such embodiment without departing from the spirit of and scope of the present invention. For example, instead of providing a plurality of hair curlers 28 of the same size, the hair curler 28 may be made in groups having different sizes so that the hair curlers may be advantageously placed in difierent areas of the hair. It will be appreciated that the sockets S will accordingly be sized to accommodate the different groups of curlers.

We claim:

1. A hair curler comprising a heat dissipating hair curler body having an opening in one end at least the inner surface of said body being electrically insulative,

an electrically conductive elastomen'c heat producing means in said body,

said heat producing means substantially filling and being in substantial engagement with the inner sur- -face of said body, to dissipate its heat to said body and for dissipation of heat by said body,

current conducting contact means connected to said heat producing means for connecting said heat producing means with a source of electrical potential and providing a path through said heat producing means for the flow of electrical current,

whereby the temperature of said heat producing means is raised by the passage of a current therethrough,

said contact means being exposed in said open end of 1 said body for connection thereat with a source of electrical potential,

and a source of electrical potential for connection with said exposed contact means.

2. A hair curler as defined in claim 1, and transverse walls extending across said body adjacent each end of said heat producing means to form a heat chamber therein to close said heat producing means within said chamber and said contact means extends outward from one of said transverse walls into said opening in the end of said body.

3. A hair curler according to claim 1,

said heat producing means being in spaced relation to said open end of said body,

said contact means comprises a pair of current conducting strips extending from said heat producing means toward said open end and extending into the space between said heat producing means and said open end of said body shielded by said body.

4. A hair curling "apparatus comprising in combination at least one hair curler as defined in claim 1,

a base for supporting said hair curler,

said base including socket means for engaging the hair curler contact means in said open end of said hair curler body,

electrical circuit means in said base to selectively apply an electrical potential across said socket means to supply a flow of energizing current to said contact means and said heat producing means,

means to connect said electrical circuit with one of a plurality of sources of different electrical potentials,

and means to convert one of said electrical potentials to that of the other.

5. In a hair curling apparatus as in claim 4, wherein there are a plurality of hair curlers each having heat producing means therein and contact means connected to each of said heat producing means,

a plurality of socket means each for connecting each one of said plurality of said hair curlers individually to a source of electrical potential,

and said electrical circuit means includes lead means for connecting each of said difierent socket means in parallel to energize the heat producing means of the hair curler connected with each said socket means.

6. In a hair curling apparatus as defined in claim 5,

wherein each of said plurality of hair curlers is provided with an open end,

said contact means in each of said plurality of hair curlers comprising opposed strips of current conducting material which are accessible through and shielded in the space of said open end,

and each of said socket means comprising a member cooperable with the open end of a respective one of said plurality of hair curlers,

and opposed conductor means of said socket means to engage said opposed strips in the respective ones of said hair curlers when the hair curler is in cooperation with said socket means member to provide a path for the flow of current therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,090,238 3/1914 Schwartz 2l9222 X 1,560,673 11/1925 Dol-an 2l9208 1,861,809 6/1932 McCaleb.

1,924,040 8/ 1933 Jancke 2l9222 1,927,001 9/1933 Lewis 219-222 2,084,951 6/1937 Engele 2l9-222 X 2,277,605 3/1942 Palitzsch 2l9439 2,432,400 12/1947 Eger 219--540 3,196,883 7/1965 Zentko 2l9222 X 3,250,895 5/1966 McNail 219-242 X 3,281,579 10/1966 Glicksman 2l9549 X 3,283,122 11/1966 McNair 219242 X FOREIGN PATENTS 652,732 10/1928 France.

ANTHONY BARTIS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

